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5/27/2016

Parents, let’s play together

Message and call for action on World Play Day (28 May) and International Children’s Day (29 May) 2016

Did you know that
playing a lot as a child also helps you to have a better job when you are an
adult? Play helps children to have higher IQ, to have better self-control and
also to relax, thus play is essential for all children and they should not be deprived of it at any circumstances, it doesn't matter if they are refugees or attending expensive private schools.

If you remember the last time you
engaged in a good game of Activity or Scrabble, you will agree with the opinion
that it is very similar in the case of adults. This is why European parents
applaud the choice of topic for World Play Day 2016, 'Play for all ages'. Playing definitely is not only for children,
and we are doing our best to encourage parents and grandparents to play. As WPD
is the day before International Children’s Day, this weekend should all be
about children and playing. We are calling parents and guardians to share what they are
playing to celebrate the day with the #WorldPlayDay and #ParentsPlay hashtags
this weekend. (Please protect the privacy of your children and do not post
photos with their faces in it.)

An opinion piece in the New York Times the week before World
Play Day called readers’ attention to interesting research evidence from
Jamaica on the crucial role of play in the lives of children as well as in
their lifetime success, and the need for parents to understand, encourage and
engage in it. It is easy to get the message: for a successful life, you need to
become lifelong players and educate your children to follow your example.

The European Parents’
Association (EPA) has joined PlayFutures with the aim of bringing research evidence on
the benefits of learning through play to reach policy makers, and encourage new
activities to inspire the crucial role of parenting, influencing educators and
thus target innovation to create a world that values learning through play. The
PlayFutures community is just starting up, but we encourage you to sign-up on
the community website to follow the progress as it evolves.

Playtime deprivation is spreading from
over-regulated lives of children and adults to even the third world. This is
one of the reasons EPA has supported the establishment of the International Parents’ Network with the aim to encourage transcontinental
dialogue for a better future of all children, that must be a playful one. This
is why our message for World Play Day is ‘Parents, let’s play together’. And we
are inviting everybody to help us in getting the message heard.

Responsible parents
all want to raise happy children. To become a happy person you need to be
healthy, be in a social position that satisfies you and to have the funds to
support yourself. The later means to have a good job for most people. For any
parent it is a great concern to provide their children with all the support
necessary to achieve this. Healthy food and environment as well as a good
schooling – whatever it means in the 21st century – are obvious elements. At the same time it may not be so obvious for
all parents why games and playing are as important as the others. We have to
help parents who do not understand that playing, using games and toys wisely helps them
to spend quality time with their children while giving them essential means of
learning.

'Parental involvement in the form of ‘at-home good parenting’ has a
significant positive effect on children’s achievement and adjustment even after
all other factors shaping attainment have been taken out of the equation. In
the primary age range the impact caused by different levels of parental
involvement is much bigger than differences associated with variations in the
quality of schools. The scale of the impact is evident across all social
classes and all ethnic groups.' Desforges 2003

Play may be considered
a waste of time by some traditionally thinking adults, but we must be
determined to change this mindset. There is a need to translate the outcomes of
the growing number of studies available that show us that play has many
educational benefits from academic language to the language of everyday life. We
have known since 1950’s that playing is essential for the cognitive, emotional,
social and physical development of children from the moment of their birth, but
the professionals whose job is to help young parents often cannot get this
message through – or they are not aware of it themselves. We have also learnt
that is helps to ease stress and anxiety, sometimes caused by the parents
themselves or the school. It should be obvious for all adults that playing is
as essential for a child as eating and drinking. This is what we are determined
to promote and we are calling professionals to help us in doing so. Let’s not
transmit confusing messages to parents who wish for the best, but are lost in
the labyrinth of the information age.

In the past decades
the choice of toys and games on the market has skyrocketed producing specified
toys for all kinds of activities while what children need most is unstructured
play with as many non-specific toys as possible. If you have ever seen a child
playing with a stone for hours and enjoying it you understand, but you may not have thought what part it plays in the education of the child. It is
reassuring to see that there are toy producers who are willing to invest in
promoting play and the educational value of it without trying to sell you their
product. At the same time, we still buy toys, and parents also need
professional and peer support to make decisions when buying that are both educational
and ethical. This is why the European Parents’ Association has been planning to
introduce a seal of recommendation for games and toys for all ages to help
parents in their decision.

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